


A New Hero Awakens

by GreyGirl



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-19 07:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3601635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyGirl/pseuds/GreyGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look into Link's life before he was a hero. A time when he is just an average guy, living alone with a heart of gold. Maybe this new Link can be hero material? Or maybe he will be running away forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I might write more if I'm asked. Or if I feel like it.

Early morning sunshine came through the small window next to the bed. Link blinked his eyes before placing his left arm across his face. He wasn’t even tired, but he could not pull himself off of the feather mattress. Without even moving he knew how the cold floor would feel against his feet. It must have been ten minutes before he managed to get into a sitting position and remind himself again to get curtains that would block out the sun.  
Not much had changed in the hut since Link moved in two years ago. He kept the same basic furniture; a table, two chairs and a bed. The counter top was always empty and the only thing that consistently filled his shelves were dust. At the foot of his bed was a trunk. It was the only thing he brought with him when he came and it still was one of the few things that he actually owned.  
Link plopped a chair that was already pulled out from the table, he couldn’t remember a time he ever sat in the other one. He ran his fingers through his tangled mass of blond hair. Scissors and haircuts were also on his list of things to buy. Looking down at himself all he could see was the scrawny kid he had been when he came to this town.  
Breakfast wasn’t much of a meal for Link, one apple. The only piece of food still in the hut. Link kicked himself for eating all of the soup last night. It was in the morning that he needed energy. While munching on his apple he went about getting ready for the day. Same brown pants and blue shirt that he wore yesterday, with the same worn out black boots as always. New ones were also on the list.  
When he finally stepped out the door it was already nine and he was running late. Link casually strolled down the narrow path that lead to the village. He loved being isolated in his own little plot of land as much as he hated it. Quickly he shook away his thoughts and tossed what was left of the apple core into the forest. 

 

Ordon village only had five families living in it, all of which had been there since the founding. Each family had found their place in the town and things never changed. First thing on Link’s to-do list was to stop by the Axort house and give Sibela a hand. Her husband had died years before and when Link moved to town she barely waited an hour before offering him a job.  
“Good morning dearie!” Sibela was already in the barn when Link pulled open the door. “I have some extra chores for you to do later so I wanted to give you a hand with milking so I don’t take the whole day from you.” Link just gave her a sideways smile and grabbed a three legged stool and a bucket from the corner of the room. The Axort’s only owned two cows and it normally took Link an hour to milk them both. He knew Sibela was lying, she just wanted to spend time with someone who appreciated her work. He kept his mouth shut and didn’t spoil her fun.  
Link’s extra chores for the day were to bring both buckets of milk next door to the Seuhan General Store. Normally Sibela kept one bucket for herself and her daughter, only when money was tight would she sell both. Link thought back to the night before when she had sent him home with a jar full of soup. He had eaten it all right before flopping down in his bed. Now guilt gnawed at his stomach, had he know the Axort’s were in trouble he would have left the soup with them. 

“Good morning Mr. Seuhan!”  
“Ahh, and a good morning to you too Mr. Link.” The old man’s eyes twinkled as Link lifted the two buckets and set them on the counter. “I remember when you could barely even lift up one of those.” Blood rushed to Link’s face and he quickly changed the subject.  
“So that is fifty rupees for the milk?”  
“And a little something extra for the delivery boy,” he winked as he dropped an extra blue rupee into Link’s palm.  
“Thank you, sir.” He clumsily muttered, the tip making his blush return. Turning quickly to leave the store he ran right into Calev Almed’s chest.  
Calev had been holding a large basket filled with cocoo eggs, which Link had sent flying. Shells and egg whites littered the floor, some even cracked over knickknacks in the store. Looking up Link saw Calev’s face was bright red from anger. The man stood a whole head taller than Link and he was twice as wide.  
“I am so sorry,” he stepped back and put his arms in front of in in a sloppy defense.  
“YOU JUST LOST ME TWENTY RUPEE’S BOY!” Calev’s yell rattle the bottles on the shelves around them.  
“I am so, so sorry.”  
“Sorry?! Is sorry going to feed my family dinner tonight?”  
“No sir.”  
“That’s what I thought. Now give me the money you owe me and I will gladly leave.”  
“B-b-but I…I don’t have that kind of money.”  
“Oh? Did the kind Mr. Seuhan not just give you fifty rupees? That is more than enough.” Before Link could protest Calev has holding him in the air by the back of his shirt while his free hand started to search Link for his wallet.  
“Mr. Almed.” A new voice cut through the store. Master Jhnonhu calmly stepped up to Calev. “Put the young man down and let us talk this out like sensible people, shall we?” The two men locked eyes before Calev dropped Link with no warning and turned on his heel.  
“I don’t want to talk to no outsiders,” was all he mumbled as he slammed the door behind him.  
Link was at a loss for words. He just stared up at the old man who rarely left his house. Even in such a small town Master Jhnonhu was a legend. He was rumored to be the last hylian alive who was around during a time of a hero. Some didn’t believe it since the last hero lived over a hundred years before, but those who had seen the way the old man carried himself couldn’t help but think he was hiding a secret.  
“Thank you, Master.” Link pulled himself to his feet and awkwardly bowed for the old man, who chuckled.  
“I think you may have that backwards,” The old man smiled and walked away, browsing the shelves. Link looked back at Mr. Seuhan, who shrugged his shoulders and made a motion with his hand that told Link it was time to leave.  
Once he made it back to the Axort’s house the cows were in the pasture and Sibela had gone inside. Her home was very similar to Link’s except that it felt like a home. A pot was supported above the fire and an aroma of stew filled the room. Her daughter, Agitha, was sitting at the table with her arms crossed and an uninterested look on her face. Sibela hugged him as he walked him and ushered him into the chair next to Agitha.  
“Would you please have lunch with us, dearie?” She placed a bowl in front of him before he could answer.  
“Mr. Seuhan gave you five extra rupees because of quality,” Link smiled up at the plump woman and gave her the money pouch he had with him.  
“I will never understand how you sweet talk him so,” Dropping the pouch into her pocket she returned to the fire to grab the pot of stew.  
“I’ll only have a little, I’m not that hungry today.”  
“Oh nonsense. You will eat whatever I give you, plus a jar of leftovers.” She leaned into his ear and whispered, “I can’t pay you until tomorrow, please accept some food.” He nodded slightly so Agitha couldn’t tell. “Well, I am going to check on the cows again, enjoy your lunches!”  
Awkward silence filled the room once Sibela left. Agitha was sixteen and 5 years younger than Link and obsessed with being the first in her family to get out of Ordon Village. It was a point of contention between the two of them because she could never understand why Link was there. With her mother gone her arms uncrossed and she leaned closer to the blond next to her.  
“I hear you are getting a lot stronger,” She grabbed his bicep as she spoke, but he shook her off.  
“I guess.”  
“Can’t even accept a complement from a pretty girl?”  
“Not when the only reason a pretty girl will talk to me is to get her out of her own life.” His bright blue eyes searched her for a second, making sure his words didn’t hurt her too much, before returning to his stew.  
“Don’t be silly. I see you as so much more than a ticket to freedom,” she leaned even closer to him and he pushed his chair away from the table in an attempt to put the distance back. The brunette took her chance and stood up, grabbing his shoulders and straddled his lap. “I see a strong man, who can protect a poor fatherless girl like me. She did her best to look him in the eye, but Link continued to lean back and clenched his jaw.  
“Please Aggy. Let me finish my lunch.”  
“It’ll cost ya a kiss,” she leaned her chest against his and tried to move his head so that she could get her lips to his. Every muscle in his body was tense. He wasn’t a very big man, but feeling the way his muscles contracted had her convinced he could move a mountain if he wanted. Finally his neck gave way and he made eye contact. His stare was cold and she knew he wasn’t really looking.  
“Stop Aggy. You’re too young to be doing this.” Just like that he stood up, but as he did he placed his left arm around her back to make sure she didn’t fall. “I am going home. Thank your mother for me.”  
“Yeah,” She looked down and her shoulders slumped.  
“Hey, Aggy Bean.” He lifted her chin up, “I don’t want to hurt you-“  
“Too late.” She cut him off and tried to give him a hateful stare but he could see the tears forming.  
“This is for the best.” His eyes softened and he swallowed, “At least for now.” He grabbed the bottle of soup and walked out trying his best not to notice the hope that spread across her face. He sighed and hoped soon she would realize that it wasn’t her. Link didn’t have a future. At least not one that he could plan. He refused to drag anyone else down with him.


	2. Escape

The forest around Ordon Village was quiet. The trees towered above Link as he sat on a stump, sipping on his stew. As he sat there his mind wandered down the path that lead out of town. It was time to move on, find some other small town no one cared about and start over. His heart sank in his chest when he thought of leaving this place. It was the first place that felt like home to him, but he knew it would only end in disaster. The people of Ordon Village were getting too close to him, Agitha especially.   
Link had always been a loner. Somehow he knew his destiny, at least he thought he did. For as long as he could remember he only had one dream. In his dream it was always dark, purple and black swirling smoke would surround him. His whole body would feel broken in his dream. Blood would be everywhere. The laughter was what haunted him even during the day. A laugh that seemed pure evil, and made Link feel as though he had failed everyone. Link lived in constant fear of that laugh and the failure it seemed to predict. He always tried to think of a way to prevent it, but his mind always landed on the same solution: Make sure no one relies on him.  
Planning where to go next wasn’t an easy task. The plan was always to find unheard of towns so Link never truly knew where he was going. He only knew when it was time to go, and right then was the best chance he had. Capping the half empty bottle of stew, he stood up and started walking to his hut to collect his things. He could not carry his trunk with him this time, the only reason he had been able to bring it in the first place was a supply cart driver offered to bring him wherever he wanted to go. Inside the trunk was mostly empty, a second blue shirt, a sling-shot and a boomerang were all he had in there.   
After he tucked his things into his belt he set out for the main part of the village, and the path that would take him to Hyrule Field, the most central location of the kingdom. Instead when the forest opened up to reveal to village to him, Link saw a small gathering by the mayor’s house. In the middle of the gathering was a knight on a white horse. He was wearing the traditional uniform, a tunic with matching hat and cream colored pants. The uniform he had on was purple though, signifying high rank and working closely with the royal family. Link lingered behind the crowd and listened.  
“During this time of need, the King has requested that every town sends their two most able bodied citizens to join the Knights.”  
“I will gladly join you and protect our royal family,” Calev stepped forward and bowed to the knight, who handed him a letter.   
“Who is the other able bodied man?” The knight scanned the small crowd around him.  
“No one else in this town will be of use to you, sir.” Calev snickered.  
“Young Master Link shall join you.” Every eye landed on Link who immediately looked at his toes. All the blood drained from his face and his voice sank down so low in his throat he was sure it would be ruined by stomach acid. Mostly he wanted to know who in town would refer to him as “master.”  
“Do you protest young man?”  
“He is more than willing,” An arm wrapped around his shoulders and Master Jhnonhu beamed at him. “Aren’t you, Link?” A blank stare and a half nod were all that Link could manage, but that was enough to get him a letter of summons to Castle Town, where he would begin his training.  
“I expect you both to be there by noon tomorrow. No excuses.” The knight then galloped away, leaving a cloud of dust around the townspeople.

~~

Zelda kneeled at the altar. In front of her three stained glass windows showed images of the three goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore. Among the candles were small statues of all the sages of the past. She prayed for peace in her land, and peace for her father. In the past year she watched him change from a strong man to a frail elder. Thick brown hair had faded to gray around his temples and thinned at the top. His eyes were no longer bright and excited by dull and tired. It had all started when her mother died.  
Since that night the security in the castle had quadrupled and Zelda was hardly let off the castle grounds. Someone had broken into the castle and killed the Queen in her sleep while the King was away. If her father knew who had been responsible he never told Zelda, only that she needed to be careful and watch for strange people at all times.   
“Princess.” Zelda jumped when her personal caretaker, Impa, appeared at her side. She could never get used to the ninja like sheikah. “The king would like you to see the new recruits.”  
“Why? He never wanted me to see them before.”  
“He wants you to know what faces you should be seeing around, so no imposters can sneak in unnoticed by you.” Zelda placed her hands on the altar and pulled herself to her feet. Without speaking she turned and started walking out of the room. Impa silently followed the princess through the castle corridors until she stopped on a balcony overlooking the main courtyard.   
The king already stood on the balcony and smiled as she stepped into the sunlight. Below them was a crowd of at least one hundred men. They stood in straight lines, their matching green uniforms making it seem as though the grass had eyes. All untrained and most of them from small villages. Zelda couldn’t imagine that most of them even knew how to hold a sword properly.   
“Are you sure you can turn them into a worthy army?” She didn’t even look at her father as she asked the question.  
“No. But it is our only chance.” He stepped up the railing and addressed the crowd below him. “Welcome to Castle Town! I hope you all enjoyed your mornings, because I cannot promise you much fun from here on out. Training will begin immediately. We will break at seven for dinner and then you will continue to train. As some of you may know, there has been a darkness closing in on Hyrule. It is only by some unknown miracle that the sun still shines upon the hylian people. We must prepare to protect ourselves from what is coming. The neighboring Zora’s and Goron’s have stopped sending messengers and our messengers never return from their countries. We can only assume the worst.”  
Zelda scanned the crowd, skeptical if these men could do what the Hero of Time had done. Yes, the hero was only one man while a hundred stood before her, but that meant nothing. Darkness coming to Hyrule was nothing new in their history. It always ended the same. A new hero would arise, the triforce of courage would attach itself to his soul, giving him the strength to succeed. Were things still not bad enough to make the hero come? Did the hundreds of knights killed while helping the neighboring people count for nothing? 

~~

Link was boiling underneath his clothes. They had been told to wear the full uniform, including the chain mail which weighed heavily on his shoulders. He ignored the king and looked at the men around him. Some had laughter in their eyes, as if the impending war was a joke. Other’s looked terrified, like the world had already ended for them. Link’s gut told him this was his last adventure. This is how the crippling pain would fill his body as smoke surrounded him. This was what would lead him to that awful laughter that rang in his ears his whole life. The crowd felt as though it was closing in on him and he didn’t know if closing his eyes would calm him down or make the fear building up in him worse. He hadn’t even realized the king had stopped speaking when a knight in a blue tunic handed him a sword and shield. They were heavy and felt heavy in his hands. He never would be able to fight skillfully with these objects, no wonder he was destined to die.   
They began training in the courtyard with the king and princess watching from above. Practicing swing their swords and how to hold them properly. While everyone else seemed to improve as the hours dragged on Link was constantly corrected. The tip of his sword dropped too low on his swing. His hand was placed too low on the hilt. The broad side of the sword would have hit an enemy, not the sharp side. By dinner time he was exhausted and determined to find a way out of the program. He doubted the king would want him in his army anyway. Plus, if he got out, he could avoid that laughter.  
For dinner the small army moved out into Hyrule Field. Tents had been pitched while they practiced sword fighting and food had been laid out on five long tables. Most of the men sat at the tables, some took plates away and sat in small clusters around the camp. Link sat alone. A small bowl of soup in his lap, all his belongings in a small pouch next to him. He’d be forced to carry them around for the rest of the day as bunks wouldn’t be assigned until after the archery lesson planned for after dinner. The field was so dark Link could barely see five feet from the edge of camp. A simple and direct solution to his dilemma. He stood up, grabbed his bag and just walked away, leaving the camp, the army, and the empty bowl behind.


	3. The Archer and the Swordsman

Princess Zelda watched Link desert. From her window she could see the camp and the small shadow of a man sitting by himself. Her gut told her this was the same blond haired boy who looked like he was going to throw up during her father’s speech. His eyes had been clamped shut and he swayed as if he was about to faint, out of everyone in the crowd he seemed the most hopeless. When he stood up she could see the outline of the sword and shield on his back, he didn’t even look back to see if anyone watched him leave. She wasn’t angry at the man who felt no need to protect her and her kingdom. Logic told her that the army was only as strong as its weakest link, and she was sure that that weak spot just walked away. Maybe he knew that a mistake had been made and that it would be better if her were to leave.   
She thought about the boy’s face when he stood in the crowd. Long blond hair. Bright blue eyes. Zelda walked to a mirror and gazed at her own face. Her blonde hair, her blue eyes. If the holder of the triforce of courage would not appear, maybe the holder of the triforce of wisdom would be enough to seal away the darkness coming for Hyrule. From the balcony the man did not seem to be too big, and he kept to himself enough that no one would know him apart from any other blond wearing a green uniform.   
Bending her arm behind her back, Zelda grasped the zipper and pulled it down, letting her gown easily fall off her body. She stepped out of it and walked to a large armoire in the corner of her room. In the bottom drawer was a green tunic and cream colored pants, a new soldier’s uniform complete with sword and shield. Quickly she pulled on the pants, chain mail and tunic. She returned to the mirror to put the long pointed cap on her head, carefully tucking her hair into it to hide the length. The uniform was loose enough to hide her figure, even when she put the sword and shield on her back. She knew the soldiers would be returning to the courtyard to practice archery, some servants had been putting out targets since the men left. She checked the window to make sure they were getting ready to return and then slipped out her door and headed for the courtyard.   
“Now that we have seen sword skills we want to see who has skills with a bow and arrow. We want everyone to be competent with both, however, starting tomorrow you will be divided into two groups. One will have training specialized in sword use, while the other will be trains with a bow.” Zelda slipped into the crowd and listened to the general. He divided the men into ten groups of ten and lined them up at ten large targets lined up along the wall. One man from each group was to shoot at the target three times and then wait for the generals to assess the targets, then the next man would go, until all ten men had fired three arrows.   
Zelda stood in the back of her line. Most of the men were much taller than her and she strained to look around them to see how well the first group was shooting. In the first group only one man was able to hit the target, the other 29 arrows fired were either buried in the ground or broken from hitting the stone wall behind the targets. The next eight groups were mostly the same, a handful of men were able to hit the target with all three arrows, but most showed how little the people of Hyrule knew about aiming.   
After what seemed like an eternity it was Zelda’s turn. The bow resting on the quiver was smooth and polished. The string was tight, yet easy enough for her to pull back. Although she was used to her golden bow that rested in the back room of the armory, along with her father’s longsword. Still she pulled out the first arrow and nocked it. She closed her left eye as she raised the bow up, holding it steady with her left arm she pulled by the string by her fingertips. A few minor adjustments to the aim, and smoothly released the string, sending the arrow soaring straight into the center of the target.   
There were no applause. No outburst of the first bull’s eye of the night. No one paid much attention to the small man who separated himself from the group. So the princess silently nocked two more arrows, each hitting the same spot as the first and splitting the arrow that was already there. Pleased with herself she set down the bow and waited for the general’s assessment.   
“Link of Ordon Village.” He called and waved Zelda to step forward. “It looks like for the first time today you showed some promise.” He gestured to the target. “No one else here was able to even come close to your performance today. Congratulations. You are not a complete failure after all. Back in line.” Zelda bowed her head slightly and hurried to the end of the line. The same rotation happened until ten at night. Every arrow Zelda shot was a bull’s eye. By the end of the night twenty men had burrowed their arrows into the center of the target and about a dozen others hit the target. Those men along with Zelda were assigned to sleep in tent one, while the rest of the men would stay in tent two. 

~

Link wasn’t sure where to go. He was still wearing a knight’s uniform and it was only a matter of time before someone noticed he had gone missing. Though he figured he would be hard to find since even he didn’t know which direction he had wandered off too. All that mattered to him was getting to cover before sunrise, or else the whole army would see him and who knew what punishment would be given. As the hours passed he got more and more nervous. There was no moonlight or stars that night so it was impossible to see ahead and for all he knew he was walking in circles.   
After a while he could sense the world closing in around him, as if he found some pathway between cliffs. Soon Link noticed that it was no longer silent, and there was a slight bug like noise coming from ahead. Although the sound was clearly an insect it seemed to loud to be a normal bug. He stopped and strained his ears and eyes, hoping to hear or see something that would help him understand what he was hearing. Without warning he heard a spring like noise and a mass was on top of him. All he felt were four limbs wrapping themselves around him and pinning him to the ground.   
Link wriggled his body until the thing lost its grip. It only took a second for Link to pull himself out and draw his sword. He had no idea where the thing was or how it would attack next so he started swinging the sword wildly in all directions. Next thing he knew he felt a blow to his back and he was sprawled out on his stomach. The sword had been knocked from is right hand and landed somewhere on the ground above his head. While trying to kick the monster off of him he did his best to reach for the sword, but could only get his left hand around the hilt. Without thinking about what he was doing he swung the sword in a smooth arc over his body. He felt when the blade made contact with the creature, but it only added a slight resistance to his swing.   
The body, now cut in half, landed on either side of him with a small thud. He laid there for a minute. Eyes wide and hands shaking. It was the first time he ever killed anything, the man hadn’t even killed a fly in his twenty one years of life, let alone some mystery creature that was almost as big as him. Part of him wanted to get up and give it a proper burial, while the other part reminded him he was on the run from the royal army.  
He wiped his sword off in the grass, unsure if there was any blood on it from the creature or not. Before moving, he listened for sounds of any more bug creatures, or worse, any knights approaching. When everything remained silent he started walking again. Instead of sheathing his sword he kept it firmly grasped in his left hand, it seemed more balanced and comfortable there. Like an old friend. Link also pulled the shield off his back. If anything else popped out at him, he would be ready. 

~

The next morning Zelda quickly realized how cumbersome broadswords were. She could barely lift up her arm for more than ten minutes holding it and she knew using it in a fight would be out of the question. A large circle had formed around her even before the lesson began, she imagined this was because of how poorly Link had handled the sword. Struggling to get the blade high enough to mortally wound someone Zelda decided to take a break for a minute and observe the knights training around her.   
“Not so good with a heavy sword are you?” Impa’s familiar voice rang in her ear and Zelda jumped noticeably. “Perhaps the princess would have more success with a rapier?” The woman whispered, a hint of mischief in her eyes. Zelda pressed her index finger to her lips and nodded her head to the side before leading Impa away from the crowd.  
“Please, they can’t know.”  
“They can’t know? You can’t be doing this. These are going to be real knights going to fight real battles, Zelda. You need to be kept safe.”  
“No. My kingdom needs to be safe.” Zelda’s eyes hardened on her caregiver.  
“Please, you don’t understand what you are saying.”  
“Yes I do. I was trained to fire a bow. I can learn to use a sword. I can protect Hyrule better than half these men.” She realized she was speaking quite loudly and lowered her voice. “Impa, I need to do this.”  
“No you don’t. These men will learn.” Impa looked over at the men and made a face of uncertainty.  
“Even you don’t believe in these rag-tag warriors, one of them didn’t even make it through the first night.”  
“If you want to train as one of them fine. But I cannot allow you to sleep in their bunks. And your father must be informed.” Impa then disappeared, as she often did, leaving Zelda without a choice in the matter.


	4. Double the Stalfos, Double the Links

The sun shone into Link's eyes and stirred him from the worst sleep he had ever gotten. He had fallen asleep under a tree with his hat folded and placed on a root to act as a pillow. His chain mail had been digging into his back all night and his hands were stiff from gripping the sword and shield, ready to fight at a moment's notice. It was not just his uncomfortable sleeping position that ruined his night though, Link was sure that had he been on his familiar feather mattress he still would not have settled. His mind could not leave the mystery creature he had slayed, his mixed emotions on if he had done something bad or good.  
What struck him most was the that he had successfully killed something. He had left believing he was drag the army down, but now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe this whole time he should have been gripping the sword in his left hand. Maybe if he went back he would be able to keep up with the rest of the recruits. Going back was the right thing to do, even if it would bring him closer to that evil laughter.  
Using his sword he pulled himself to his feet and tried to take in his surroundings for the first time. He was in the middle of forest that looked nothing like the one that surrounded Ordon. It was darker, even with the light shining through the treetops. Even though the sun reached his skin he felt no warmth where it touched him. Looking around he couldn’t find a path that he had been walking on the night before. Worry spread across his body like a frozen shower as his mind slowly put together where he was.  
Of the hundreds of people who had wandered into the Lost Woods only a handful had ever returned. It was said that the forest would change right before you eyes, paths appearing and disappearing, hundred-year-old trees moving, streams and rivers drying up and sprouting from the ground before your very eyes. Worst of all it was believed that those who lost their way would eventually transform into creatures called stalfos, mindless skeletons whose only goal is to attack the living.  
The best way is to pick one direction and keep going until I am out, Link thought to himself. He slowly spun around, deciding which was was most likely to bring him to familiar territory. Although it had been a long time since he had looked at a map he was pretty sure that the Lost Woods was southwest of Hyrule Field, so if he could determine which was was northeast he would be fine. The sun was rising to his left, was it rise in the east or rise in the west? He chose east, angled himself accordingly, and started walking.

~~~

After lunch Zelda's group returned to training. Some members of the opposite group were to join them and help train those who were still struggling with their sword skills. The King stood above the courtyard and observed the new recruits with Impa at his side. They had discussed the situation and he agreed to let Zelda train, as long as she maintained the cover as Link of Ordon. As Link she would not be a target on the battlefield. He also agreed with Impa that the broadsword would not work well for the princess and made it clear that those recruits who could not hold a broadsword were to be given a rapier. As it turned out only one rapier needed to be given.  
"Link! scrawny and weak as ever I see." A booming voice called out behind Zelda. She turned to see a man who towered above her and whose sword was pointing toward her neck. "It might be better for ye if ye just went home and milked old Sibela's cows." Zelda felt all the blood rush from her face. If this man knew the real Link he would easily be able to tell she was an imposter. She clenched her jaw and turned away from him, hoping the obvious hostility he had towards Link was a mutual thing.  
"You dare turn away from me!" The large man bellowed and grabbed the princess by her shoulder, spinning her around to face him. "Fight me now, you want to all of a sudden act like a man? Well be one." He swung his sword around and hit Zelda in the gut with the broad side. She fell to the ground and the wind was knocked out of her. Closing her eyes she tried to pull herself together and struggled to her feet.  
Without saying a word she lifter her rapier and pointed it at him, the look of determination in her eyes was enough to tell him she accepted the challenge. Zelda spent the beginning of the battle dodging attacks and observing her opponent. The longer he went without hitting his target the sloppier his movement became. By swinging his heavy sword far behind him he gave her time to counterattack as he changed the momentum of his blade to move forward. She waited for a particularly hard swing and crouched on one leg while keeping her left leg extended, she pivoted and swung her leg behind the tall man knocking him flat on his back. Effortlessly she stood up and placed the point of her rapier on the soft part of his neck while kicking his sword out of his reach.  
Applause erupted around her and she realized everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch the strongest and weakest swordsmen of all the recruits fight. Zelda beamed and looked up at the wall at her father and Impa who both seemed just as proud. She withdrew her sword and offered her hand to the man she had just defeated. He swatted it away and pulled himself to his feet before walking away, muttering under his breath the whole time.  
"She will make a great queen someday," the King mused as he watched his daughter, "Maybe she will be as great a general as me."  
"I still believe her place is behind the battles and deciding strategy." Impa responded curtly, "The holder of Nayru's wisdom should not be recklessly running about."  
"Ah, my dear Impa, perhaps leading by example is the wisest choice for Hyrule right now." He smiled at the young bodyguard and with his head motioned it was time to go back inside.

~~~

Link had no idea how much time had past or how far he had traveled by the time the sun was in the middle of the sky. He had seen many streams and each time he drank from them before they had a chance to evaporate before him. If getting out of the woods was his first priority finding food was a close second. This was another difference between this forest and the ones he was familiar with, he would have found a berry bush or apple tree by now anywhere else.  
From the size that the Lost Woods were given on most maps (as far as Link could remember) he had to be close to Hyrule Field. Of course right as this thought occurred to him, Link walked into a wall. He hadn’t seen it while he was walking because it was covered in moss and had trees growing in it. The wall stretched out as far as he could see on both sides of him and the only logical way to keep going northwest to go over.  
Once both his feet were off the ground, Link heard a rattling behind him. Thinking nothing of it he continued to scale the wall, gripping tree branches and vines. The rattling got louder and still Link ignored it until he was slammed in the back by a wooden club. The shock of the blow caused him to lose his grip and he fell five feet to the ground, landing on his back. Bending over him were two Stalfos, one with the club that had just hit him and the other held a sword and shield similar to the ones Link had.  
The one with the club raised his weapon again and slammed it onto the ground, Link rolled out of the way just in time to watch the dirt fly up next to him and a Link sized crater to appear in the ground. Steeling himself Link rolled forward through the stalfos soldier’s legs and drew his sword in a smooth motion. As he jumped up behind the monster he stabbed it in the back, his blade cutting through the exposed vertebrae. With one stalfos down Link only had to focus on the one with the club.  
He was much bigger than his companion and from the way it instigated the fight Link decided this one must have been the leader. Again it raised its club above its head, this time Link did not have a chance to roll away and instead ducked behind his shield. Surprisingly the metal did not even dent from the blow, although the reverberations from the wooden club coming down on it at full force made Link’s arm feel like chu jelly. He stayed still, cowering behind his shield. He could not see if the stalfos was raising its club for another hit and didn’t really want to know. It wasn’t until he heard the rattling sound again moving away from him did he peek at the stalfos walking away and disappearing in the trees.  
Once he was sure that the stalfos was out of sight Link jumped up and ran to the wall. He had never climbed anything so quickly in his life, but he needed to get over it before another stalfos showed up, or the same one. At the top he looked out and saw Hyrule Field. The tents were still set up for the new army recruits it looked as though a large cauldron of food was being prepared. Thinking of lunch was the final straw that lured Link back to camp and back to the King’s Army. 

~~~

No one had seemed to notice his absence. He was handed a bowl of soup without question and even had some people clap him on the back and tell him what progress he had been making. It must have been some sort of test, Link thought to himself, they were watching me to whole time to see if I would come back or not. He took his same seat, alone and at the edge of camp. After he ate it was time to train again, there were two different training groups now, one was going to practice sword skills and the other was going to practice with a bow and arrow. Figuring that the Lost Woods challenge was his sword training Link went with the archery group.  
“In order to rank you all as archers we wish to do a similar exercise as yesterday. Except today you will all be firing five arrows and you will be doing it in groups of two.” Link was excited for this test, although he had a shaky start with the sword he was taught to use a bow at a very young age and used to hunt his own food before moving to Ordon. The training officer called out two names at a time and watched as the trainees fired their five arrows, then they called another two. Out of the two dozen people who went before Link on three got a bullseye and only seven got every arrow to stick to the target.  
“Link of Ordon,” the officer finally called. As he stepped forward there was a murmur in the crowd. He did not realize why until he reached the front, also breaking through the ranks was another recruit. When the other recruit met Link’s eyes all the color drained from his face and he looked as though he was going to throw up.  
“Oh,” the other Link breathed. His voice was soft and just like Link he was shorter and thinner than the rest of the recruits. Besides that his hair was more of a dirty blonde than Link’s yellow locks, and his eyes had more grey in them than Link’s ocean blue ones. Zelda stared back at Link in shock, never had she expected for this man to return. Now that she was looking at him up close she realized what a miracle it was that no had called her out on being a fake. The real Link was three inches taller than her and his face more angular. Even though she could not see through his armor somehow just the way he held himself made it clear his thin body was covered in lean muscle. Looking at him, she kept thinking he was the type of man she would want by her side ruling the kingdom, she cut the thought off as soon as she felt the blood rushing to her checks.  
“What is the meaning of this?” The training officer glared at the two Link’s. “Which one of you is Link of Ordon?”  
“I am,” Link said. Impa appeared between the two Link’s before anyone else had the chance to speak.  
“Thank you, Jarvan. By the King’s request Link of Ordon and Link of Ordon and wanted in the throne room, so they are excused from further training today.” The sheikah smiled at the confused knight and motioned for Link and Zelda to follow her. Once they were out of earshot of anyone else she began to talk again. “Welcome back Link of Ordon, can’t say we have been expecting you. Usually when people walk out of camp on the first day they don’t return.”  
Links blood ran cold. Impa’s words were so matter of fact and had no emotion in them at all. He could not tell if he was in more trouble for deserting, coming back, or if he was not in trouble at all. The slender sheikah walked ahead of him. Her white hair was cut short except for a long strand in the front that reached her waist. Different colored bands wrapped around the long part of her hair, signifying her place in sheikah society. To Link the colorful bands were a moot point, as far as anyone knew Impa was the last of the sheikah tribe, making her the highest ranked in the tribe.  
“Here we are, the King is waiting for you in here. Link. Link.” She nodded at each of them when she said their names and then walked away, disappearing into the shadows.


End file.
